The second ‘Biodesign Here Now’ festival at the Old Laundry Yard in Shepherds Bush Market from Open Cell featured a fashion show of ‘grown’ bio-friendly outfits that could shape the future of fashion, and a public house bar created from mushroom fungus.
Open Cell, one of London’s most affordable bio-tech hubs, organised the event in partnership with H&F Council and U+I PLC.
The 2018 festival, celebrated the latest in bio-tech innovation, attracted more than 2,000 visitors, and the 2019 event, which ran from 19-21 September, proved just as popular.
The exhibition – part of the London Design Festival – showcased international designers’ projects and start-ups working on cutting-edge sustainable concepts.
The event was welcomed by Cllr Andrew Jones, H&F Cabinet Member for the Economy and the Arts. “This borough is at the heart of innovation in the tech world, and the Biodesign festival allows designers to share thought-provoking ideas which seem bold and futuristic today, but are likely to become mainstream tomorrow,” he said.
It was the result of the council’s Industrial Strategy, in partnership with Imperial College London, to make the borough a leading UK destination for the biotech, digital and creative industries.
The 70 exhibitor installations included the developing of fashion lines in labs using bacterial cells, rather than petrochemicals, to mimic natural fibres, and the use of fungal material to create ‘wooden’ bars in pubs. There were also performances, workshops and talks throughout the three-day festival.
“We want to make Hammersmith & Fulham the destination for biotechnology in London, the UK and beyond,” said co-founder of Open Cell Helene Steiner.
“Climate change, healthcare, textiles, pollution and our food supply can all be positively impacted by biotechnology-driven solutions. This festival opened the significance and urgency of these solutions to designers and the wider public.”
